I finally gave in and I’m going to give daily fantasy sports (DFS) a shot this year. This is my first year playing so there will be bumps in the road, but if you read my fantasy guide you know I am going to be overly prepared before I do something.
I’m playing at Draft Kings so all of my analysis and picks will be based on their scoring system.
My Strategy
To maximize your scoring potential you need to find pitchers who throw a lot of innings, strikeout a lot of batters and have a good chance for a win. Since you also lose points for hitters reaching base (hits, walks, hits batsmen) you want to avoid high strikeout, high walk pitchers (Francisco Liriano for example). Also, if they’re walking a lot of batters their pitch counts will be high, which means they won’t pitch deep into games.
With hitters you want players who will hit for extra bases because the scoring increases progressively for extra base hit type. Also, there are no penalties for hitters making outs so you can draft a Mike Zunino and not worry so much if he goes 0-4 with three strikeouts. Power is emphasized in the scoring so it’s imperative to find players who are going to hit home runs and make hard contact.
Speed is another way to find easy points at a low cost, but you want to make sure you grab players who have a high stolen base success rate because you lost points for every caught stealing.
Last Note
This is the most obvious thing, but it has to be said. You are responsible for your own lineup. It is your decision to play or not play a specific player or in general. I’m giving the best analysis I can and if you agree then, that’s great. I’m going to be wrong sometimes. In fact I’ll probably be wrong a lot because like I said at the start I am a beginner there’s going to be a learning curve.
My Lineup
- P: Corey Kluber (CLE) vs. D. Keuchel (HOU) — $9,800
- P: Hidden
- C: Yan Gomes (CLE) vs. D. Keuchel (HOU) — $4,100
- 1B: Ike Davis (OAK) vs. Y. Gallardo (TEX) — $3,500
- 2B: Hidden
- 3B: Carlos Santana (CLE) vs. D. Keuchel (HOU) — $9,800
- SS: Everth Cabrera (BAL) vs. C. Archer (TB) — $3,200
- OF: Carlos Gonzalez (COL) vs. K. Lohse (MIL) — $4,500
- OF: Seth Smith (SEA) vs. J. Weaver (LAA) — $3,800
- OF: Hidden
Everyone is probably going to use Corey Kluber today and I honestly almost removed him, but I didn’t want to outthink myself. What’s not to like? He pitches deep into games, strikes out a lot of batters and is facing a team that should strikeout a lot.
Yan Gomes and Carlos Santana have career OPSs of .871 and .857 against left handed pitching.
I was big believer in Everth Cabrera last year and I’m buying in again. He’s the starting shortstop and had 81 stolen bases from 2012-13. He probably will not hit atop the lineup, but if he does I feel good about his chances of stealing a base.
This is the healthiest Carlos Gonzalez is going to be so I should take advantage while I still can. Also, he’s hitting in a great hitter’s ballpark against one of the few average pitchers today.
Since 2012 Ike Davis has a .794 OPS. I’m entirely optimistic about using him, but he’s still going to hit in the middle of the order against a mediocre pitcher.
